My dad is Middle Eastern, has many siblings who form an incredibly tight-knit group that has met once weekly almost all year for as long as I can remember, and one sibling recently passed away. Needless to say my dad hasn’t spoken about it and nor have his brothers while the sisters have been dealing with their grief in the usual or recommended manner. It’s totally normal for my dad to be grieving but he has become totally withdrawn and silent. I’m in my thirties and I have never seen him affected by something for so long. Of course it’s a normal reaction, but there has to be some way family members can be there for him or help him feel less awful, even if it’s for half an hour a day. He continues to meet with the extended family but on its own that clearly isn’t helping much. I feel like my mom and my siblings aren’t there for him because we aren’t helping him in any way. Therapy is out of the question (he would never, and forcing that discussion on him would just be a strain for him) and so is talking about his feelings. He doesn’t really have any hobbies. He has friends and he does see them. He has a strict routine that includes work and exercise and continues to follow it. tl;dr how to show up for a dad grieving in total silence and maybe occasionally cheer him up? submitted by /u/tsar_guglhupf
Originally posted by u/tsar_guglhupf on r/AskMen